It's true! I am in sunny Kandahar, Afghanistan. Shoot me an email for details. Still no mailing address.
Since Bonnie's demise, I have been without a vehicle of my own. Now, I want another bike, but I don't know if I'm really interested in the commitment of being an everyday rider again. It was nice on to ride on so many of those days, but the extra clothes, preparation required, and occasional inclement elements or luggage restrictions made it just a little burdensome. My notion is to let the insurance money from Bonnie accrue interest while I'm overseas and then get both a cheaper/older car and a cheaper/older bike. I wouldn't have the expense of outfitting the bike as a daily rider/utility vehicle and I could afford to tinker with it a bit since I'd still have the car to commute.
Checking the cheap and tinkerable boxes with bold strokes is the Suzuki S40 and the kits from Ryca motors. The S40 (also sold as the Savage) is a reliable single-cylinder 650cc entry-level cruiser that Suzuki has been churning out since 1986. Since it's so easily outgrown and it's been produced so long, they're easy to find used like this Craigslist item listed at a hopeful $2200 near my house in Texas.
Not ugly, but generally unremarkable. But with one of the Ryca kits, hand tools, and a trip to a paint shop, the S40 can be turned into something lighter, unique, and fun-looking:
I would probably get the CS2 Standard/Scrambler with the 2-person seat and normal handle bars or just order parts piecemeal (new seat and foot-controls first, of course). We're still months away from any decision-making opportunity, but this is the way I'm leaning right now.
Piraat
This Belgian Ale is a hefty 10.5% ABV. It's related to that biere du boucanier that I didn't like. I'd describe it as bread-y, with a rocky head and an unmistakable alcohol punch.
Since Bonnie's demise, I have been without a vehicle of my own. Now, I want another bike, but I don't know if I'm really interested in the commitment of being an everyday rider again. It was nice on to ride on so many of those days, but the extra clothes, preparation required, and occasional inclement elements or luggage restrictions made it just a little burdensome. My notion is to let the insurance money from Bonnie accrue interest while I'm overseas and then get both a cheaper/older car and a cheaper/older bike. I wouldn't have the expense of outfitting the bike as a daily rider/utility vehicle and I could afford to tinker with it a bit since I'd still have the car to commute.
Checking the cheap and tinkerable boxes with bold strokes is the Suzuki S40 and the kits from Ryca motors. The S40 (also sold as the Savage) is a reliable single-cylinder 650cc entry-level cruiser that Suzuki has been churning out since 1986. Since it's so easily outgrown and it's been produced so long, they're easy to find used like this Craigslist item listed at a hopeful $2200 near my house in Texas.
Not ugly, but generally unremarkable. But with one of the Ryca kits, hand tools, and a trip to a paint shop, the S40 can be turned into something lighter, unique, and fun-looking:
I would probably get the CS2 Standard/Scrambler with the 2-person seat and normal handle bars or just order parts piecemeal (new seat and foot-controls first, of course). We're still months away from any decision-making opportunity, but this is the way I'm leaning right now.
Piraat
This Belgian Ale is a hefty 10.5% ABV. It's related to that biere du boucanier that I didn't like. I'd describe it as bread-y, with a rocky head and an unmistakable alcohol punch.
